Anna Skamarakas

I want to start this blog by telling you my goal.  In honor of my sister Bean, I am collecting books - new and gently used - that will be donated to various children’s charities in Bean’s memory.  I would absolutely LOVE to have 100 books to donate by the end of March.  That means if just 10% of my Twitter Followers sent me a book, I’d be at my goal.  If just a fraction of my Facebook friends sent me a book, I’d be at my goal.  I think I’ve set a modest goal, and your donation would help me not only honor the memory of this incredible person, but it would also help put books in the hands of children.

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Let’s start by saying I did not purchase the Hot Pockets.  And were it not for Jim Gaffigan and his comedy routine, I doubt Jim would have purchased Hot Pockets.  But there they were.  And here I was.  Friday night, no offer of take away pizza from the husband, and facing a cupboard with the same old boring pasta.  The Hot Pockets I have successfully avoided since Jim threw them in my shopping cart three weeks ago are on the menu.  This should be interesting. (more…)

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We’re not big on Valentine’s Day in my house.  I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gotten a Valentine’s gift from my husband, and one of those gifts was delivered to the hospital as I was in labor with my middle daughter, Eilis.  It was a barefoot and pregnant bear from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company.  Ummm hmmm.  Maybe it’s better he doesn’t send gifts.

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not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable. - John Milton

Well, as many of you know, Jim has been struggling with his eyesight for a number of years.  It started back in 2002, and has alternated between some good days, some bad days, some awful days.  We have finally hit a point where we are seeing more awful days, and Jim has filed for disability.

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My plans for the day included nothing more than dinner at Kouzzina.  I figured we’d probably hit a park, and since my friend Dori and her daughter Aviva are also here at Disney World, I had assumed we’d meet up and take all the kids together.

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I blissfully go about life getting stuff done when it needs to get done.  As a result, I do all of my best packing last minute.  If I pack too soon, I start second guessing what I need to bring, why I need to bring it, and end up packing way more than I need.  If I wait until the last minute, I pack the bare minimum, wearing the same underwear four days in a row sounds like a good plan to save space in the suitcase, and having Eilis and Granuaile wear the same outfit on alternating days seems like a brilliant idea.  It’s all good.

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I get asked this question.  A lot. And it surprises me every time!

This is my youngest daughter, Granuaile, during her very first visit to Walt Disney World.  She was four months old at the time, and of course the memories of this vacation are not her memories.  She will look at the pictures with me, and she admires herself, recognizes the people, places, and things, but the memories of the vacation are absolutely mine.

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Aunt Charlotte’s Candy

5 W. Maple Avenue

Merchantville, NJ 08109

856-662-0058

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